Six

"Is it like this all the time?" Susan muttered, looking out the car window at the multi-lane freeway packed bumper to bumper with nearly motionless vehicles. The sky was a cloudy gray morass, drizzling water down in a light haze that sprinkled against the glass. The Exodus car in front of them dominated the view from the windshield.

"The rain?" Elijah asked from the other side of the car cabin. "It's what passes for late winter here."

"The traffic." Susan said.

"It's always bad," Jenny said from between them, in the middle back seat. "But it's even worse when there's rain."

"It's a damn parking lot," Susan muttered. Four lanes, and each of them crammed to capacity. "Not a good place to be stuck."

"It's worse than usual," the driver said from up front. A middle-aged man by the name of Sanjay, he drummed the fingers of one hand against the steering wheel in a rhythmic pattern. It had set her on edge for the entire drive, and Susan hated it. It was no fault of Sanjay's, she knew, but that tap tap tap just brought back memories of Marco Fabbro's tics. He's dead. He doesn't have any power over you. She forced herself to focus on Sanjay's words. "There are reports of an accident ahead. A flipped car blocking a lane."

"Yeah, that's remarkably inconvenient," she said.

"It happens all the time," Jenny said. "Lots of crappy drivers here."

"I still don't like it. Call me paranoid, but there are people out to get us."

"Oh. You have a point."

"How far out from the airport are we?" Susan asked.

"About twenty minutes normally," Elijah said. "With this traffic though, could be forty minutes depending on where the accident is."

"I don't like the sound of that." Susan glanced around out the windows again. "That car behind to our right. The Toyota?"

"The one that was pulled over on the shoulder a ways back?" Elijah nodded at her. "Yeah, I see it. Got a feeling about that one."

"Exactly."

"I concur," Titus said from the forward passenger seat. "The circumstances are suspicious. Be vigilant." He brought a hand to his throat mic. "White Camry, twenty meters on our five o'clock. Keep an eye on it."

Susan reached down and picked up her rifle from the floor. She unfolded the stock and checked the sight, keeping the gun low; the Exodus car had tinted windows, but still better to avoid waving a firearm around in the open.

Elijah already had his rifle at his shoulder; he'd turned halfway around in his seat and had the short little bullpup leaning against the rear seat. "If anything happens," he said to Jenny, "get down and cover your ears."

Their car inched forward. Each meter felt like crawling through molasses, and the occasional honk sounded from outside as drivers expressed their frustration. Susan kept an eye on the car in question. It had tinted windows as well, the dark panes of glass revealing nothing but beaded droplets of water.

"There's the crash," Sanjay said. "Bloody rubberneckers…"

"And an ambulance on site already," said Jenny. "But it looks like it's just sitting there."

"Ach, not like it could move in this." Sanjay swung their car into another lane. The accident had blocked the two left lanes of the freeway, an overturned minivan cutting across at an angle. Cars funneled into the remaining lanes like grains of sand in an hourglass. "At least it should be better once we get past this."

"Be ready," Titus said. "If anybody's going to try something, it'll be here."

Susan watched the Camry. It paralleled their course; she couldn't tell if that was just the way the traffic forced it, or if it was pacing them deliberately. The silhouette behind the wheel shifted-

"Driver just reached for something," Elijah said calmly.

"I see it," she said, her hand curling around the grip of her rifle.

"Watch your fire," Titus warned, both to them and into his throat mic. "Lots of innocents around. Verify a threat before you engage."

The Camry closed, cutting around an intervening car and ignoring the angry honks. Elijah followed it with his rifle, using the back seat as a rest while Jenny bent down and covered her ears.

"He hasn't done anything yet," Titus said. "Don't be too hasty."

A flicker of light came from up ahead. "Finally," said Sanjay. "Ambulance is getting ready to move. We're almost past. Traffic should get flowing once we're-"

Squealing tires interrupted the Exodus man. The ambulance, its lights flashing, suddenly swung hard across the lanes from beyond the overturned car and plowed into the Exodus car in front of them. It wasn't going particularly fast, but it had enough momentum to shove the SUV into the other lane, sandwiching it between the ambulance and another car. Frantic horns filled the air as Susan popped her car door. Hopping out in the middle of a freeway had not been on her plans, but with all the cars packed nearly motionless that risk seemed a better choice than being stuck in a metal box while people perforated it with gunfire. The cold and damp started seeping into her bones as her feet hit the textured concrete.

Muzzle flares filled the space between the ambulance windshield and the Exodus car windows, the ferocious racket echoing across the freeway. The rear doors of the ambulance flung open and Susan swung her rifle over, tucking its stock into her shoulder as she sighted down the optic and ignored the twinge from her ribs. A lean, dark-haired man swung out, EMT uniform at odds with the sawn-off, pump-action shotgun in his hands. Staying low, he rushed up along the side of the ambulance, raising the gun as he approached the pinned car and-

Susan shot him twice, two rounds transverse through the chest. The man stumbled against the ambulance cabin; she put another round through his head. He dropped, leaving red smears across the surface of the ambulance.

Another man leapt out from the back of the ambulance. She took the fraction of a second to verify that he had a gun in his hands and double-tapped him as well. A pair of suppressed shots sounded from the other side of their car; she recognized the sharp snap-crack of Elijah's weapon. Another shot, then Titus joined her as Susan approached the ambulance. "Clear the back," he said, nodding towards her from over his shouldered weapon. "I'll take the front."

Panicked horns sounded from up and down the freeway. The trapped Exodus car ground its wheels, trying to wriggle free, but the pinning ambulance kept it in place. Susan moved towards the open back, hoping that a car wouldn't try to shove its way past the whole mess and run her over. Another few shots came from Elijah as she rounded the ambulance's rear doors.

Empty.

Susan stepped over the second fallen assassin and thumped the side of the ambulance twice. "Clear!" she shouted to Titus, who had tugged open the driver's door and pulled a bloody mess of a body out. The Exodus team leader dumped the body and climbed in. Keeping one eye on the cars around them, Susan moved up the length of the emergency vehicle and checked the Exodus car. The left side had been buckled inwards but looked otherwise intact. The passenger window had been shot out; Camila's angry face looked through it over the muzzle of a rifle. "You alright?" Susan shouted, and got a thumbs-up in reply. Evidently the Exodus team had been a little quicker on the draw.

Titus threw the ambulance into reverse and backed it up across the left lanes. Susan stepped back, clearing the way for the pinned car to roll free. She half-expected to get buried beneath a flood of panicked cars, but the crowded freeway remained mostly motionless. Well, shootouts tended to have that effect.

The first Exodus car rolled out, pulling away from the crash with a grinding scrape. Titus hopped out of the ambulance, his weapon at the ready. He waved the car onwards. Two more slow, steady shots came from behind, then Elijah yelled, "Clear!"

As the freed car rolled forwards, navigating the less crowded section of freeway past the overturned minivan, the second car eased up. Susan saw Elijah run and clamber into the back; behind him the trailing car they'd spotted sat motionless, windshield perforated with impact holes. A glance around showed that most of the people on the road had ducked down, huddling for what little cover there was in their vehicles. She winced at the sight of a number of lesser collisions; that would be one hell of a traffic nightmare to sort through.

But they needed to be long gone by then.

Their car moved slowly enough that Titus rolled over the hood to the passenger door and hauled himself in. Susan gave the freeway another look as she closed with the car. She tugged the rear door open while it was still moving and climbed in, breathing hard against the shock of the sudden fight.

"Drive," Titus ordered, and Sanjay revved the engine, pulling away from the scene. As the Exodus driver had predicted, the traffic eased up past the bottleneck of the first crash. Their car sped up, swerving through lanes even as Susan held on for dear life. She heard Titus giving orders over his throat mic, and was dimly aware of Jenny on the verge of hyperventilating next to her.

"You okay?" Susan asked, keeping her weapon low but ready.

Jenny took a moment to respond. "Y-Yeah," she said slowly. "Does… does this sort of thing happen often?"

"When there's a contract on us," said Elijah. "Nothing personal."

"Besides Hirawa," Susan said. "And van Haag."

"Okay, that's true." He chuckled softly. "And there's us. Those contracts turned personal too."

Susan laughed. "Different kind of 'personal', but you're not wrong."

Their car swerved, cutting across a lane towards the right as they approached the exit that led to the airport. They weren't going to the San Francisco airport; Exodus had a plane at the San Jose airport. Susan had seen enough airports through the years that they all seemed similar; this one seemed little different. They followed the first, battered car across an overpass towards the turn-off to the airport.

They didn't go to any of the large terminals. Instead the two cars circled around the perimeter road until they came to a smaller hangar on the outskirts, where an old, propeller-driven cargo plane sat waiting. The convoy pulled up to the hangar edge. "This is it," Titus said.

"Really?" Jenny said. "I think I'd rather take my chances with people pointing guns at us."

The Exodus team leader laughed boisterously. "It's not that bad. Only threatens to fall out of the sky once every other flight!"

"Very funny." Jenny frowned. "You are joking, right?"

"OF course." Titus climbed out of the car and grinned at the back seat. "That thing may not look like much, but it'll get us where we need to go."

"That isn't reassuring."

"It should be," Elijah said as he headed towards the trunk of their car and picked up their cases. "Don't worry; Exodus takes care of their stuff. Ask any of them. I'm sure they've got stories of how Titus makes them clean their gear."

Titus grinned, his teeth gleaming against his dark skin. "As if you and Miss Rizzi don't maintain your equipment painstakingly?"

"Oh, but we make sure our things also look pretty," Susan said, scanning their surroundings as she held her rifle against her chest.

Titus laughed again. "Ah, yes. Appearances. Your side of the table does put so much stock upon that."

"Not our side for much longer," said Susan. She gave the airport another look, then backed towards the open rear cargo hatch of the plane. About half the space was filled with boxes and crates atop pallets, strapped down and secured with professional thoroughness. The Exodus team was filing into the rear hold, moving with a swiftness and familiarity that testified to their experience with situations like this. She met Elijah halfway there, took one of her bags from him as she made for the ramp.

"We will see," Titus said. "Repentance is no easy matter, and it is more often a marathon than a sprint."

Susan paused. "Repentance?" she echoed.

"Ah, I do not mean to preach at you," Titus said as he strolled towards the plane alongside her. "I was not speaking in religious terms. I mean it in the sense of the old Greek idea, of changing one's mind and way of thinking."

"Some habits die hard," Elijah said as he passed them.

"Indeed they do. We are individuals of bloody hands. Such things leave their marks upon souls." Titus looked wistful for a moment, squinting into the distance at a glimmer of a rainbow peeking through the clouds. "So, tempting as it is to try to recruit the two of you… I do wish you the best in finding some kind of peace together. Such a thing is rare enough that it ought to be treasured."

She didn't know what to say to that. Titus gave her a solemn nod and proceeded into the depths of the plane, speaking quietly to his team members as he passed them. Susan paused at the top of the ramp, glancing around at the outside again. The main terminals weren't visible from this angle, but the noise of jet engines sounded a constant racket. She looked out at the rainbow in the distance. So, this is really happening.

Elijah stepped over to her side from where he'd secured some of their things. Susan reached a hand out and entwined their fingers. She laughed softly. "Run away with me?"

"Anywhere," he said.


The plane took off with a buzzing roar of its propellers. In the hold, Susan leaned her head back against the vibrating fuselage and breathed out. She'd half-expected them to be detained by the authorities, or for another attempt on their lives. In truth, this was further than she'd thought they'd get. She looked over at Elijah and smiled. He returned it with a tired grin, and that sensation filled her again. Like a whirlwind of flame, coiling within her chest in that paradoxical mixture of euphoria, anxiety, and contentment.

Titus came into the hold from the cockpit once the plane had leveled out. "We'll be out of country in a few hours," he said over the drone of the engines. "We'll land at an Exodus holding in… elsewhere."

"Secret base, huh?" Susan said.

"The fewer people know the locations of such, the more secure they are," Titus replied. "From there, we can relocate you to somewhere else in the world. Somewhere quiet, perhaps, though such a place is fast becoming rare."

"Thanks, Titus," Elijah said. "We owe you."

"Yes," said Titus, "you do." He lifted a hand before they could respond. "However, the Exodus Railroad also owes you a prior debt. Enough of one that certain members in positions of leadership were moved by your request for aid. So for now, let us say the scales are even."

"Thank you," said Susan.

Of course, there was that for now.

She watched as Titus rejoined his team, where Camila and several others had started a card game around one of the secured crates, using it as an impromptu table. He laughed heartily as they dealt him in. Camila waved Jenny over; the young Chinese woman crossed the crowded hold and sat down, a trepid yet excited half-smile on her face. Susan stared for a moment. As young as Jenny seemed, Camila was even younger.

Far too young to be waging a war in the shadows, to be scrambling around from safehouse to safehouse, conflict to conflict. Still, it was a better fate than getting sold off as a sex slave. Camila had that ferocity to her, a gleam in her eyes: an edge that came from the terrible knowledge of the dark corners of the world. Jenny, in contrast, had nothing like that in her gaze.

How long will that last? Susan wondered. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Peace. And not just the absence of people shooting at them – but a personal, inner peace. The idea seemed so elusive, so ephemeral. Out of her reach? Maybe. Hell, most likely. But maybe there was still hope.

"That look on your face," Elijah said, leaning in to be heard over the engines. "Are you wondering who we are and what we're going to do now?"

She looked over at him. "How did you…"

"Educated guess," he said. "Also, I've been wondering about that myself. I don't have any answers, I'm afraid."

"S'okay," Susan said. "We can find answers together."

Elijah took her hand and brought it to his lips, planting a slow kiss across her knuckles. "I never thought I'd know somebody like you. You're far better than I deserve."

"You mean a messed-up assassin on the run?" Susan smiled. "Boy, I'd hate to see what you think you do deserve."

"I mean a clever, deadly woman with a surprising heart and great guns."

Susan lifted an eyebrow.

Elijah paused. "That- I meant that literally," he said. "You have impeccable taste in firearms."

She laughed. "Right."

"Honest!"

Another laugh. "Sure, sure."

"Mind you," he added, "if you did want to take that as a compliment to certain anatomical features, there is certainly appreciation there."

Susan laughed again. "Should I be flattered or insulted?"

Elijah looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll settle for not having said firearms turned against me?"

"I'll see what I can do," Susan said dryly. Then she leaned in. "I can't promise that I won't ever hurt you, though. I'm- I don't know if I'm any good at this."

"Neither am I." He looked back at her, a sober look in his eyes. "I'm pretty sure that's part of the deal with relationships. They're like knife fights, right? Intimate, messy, and nobody's walking away from one unscathed."

"And it means getting close enough to hurt and be hurt." She leaned in a bit closer, resting her head against his, and closed her eyes. "So, you know I'm going to mess up at some point."

"I do. And I'm going to mess up too." Elijah brushed a lock of hair from her forehead and kissed her brow. "I've been in a lot of fights, Susan. This one's worthwhile – you're worthwhile."

"Flatterer," she murmured. "But I'm with you. All the way."

"All the way," he echoed. "And while we're not exactly free yet-"

"We're close."

"We are." Elijah clasped her hands in his and turned a hopeful smile towards her. "So, what next?"